Now Tapped: Sorachi Sunrise Rice IPA

At Thr3e Wise Men, we love to experiment with bold flavors in our beers. From smoked malt to blackberries, we have come up with quite a few (not to mention award winning!) unique ideas. Our newest seasonal creation is a twist on the tried and true IPA: Sorachi Sunrise Rice IPA. Made with Japanese Sorachi Ace Hops, rice and matcha green tea, this IPA is anything but ordinary. We debuted it at the 22nd Annual Indiana Microbrewer’s Fest and it was the first keg to blow, which was a good indicator we had created something special.

Sorachi Sunrise is the newest addition to our beer list

On Thursday 8/10 we tapped the second keg of Sorachi Sunrise at our Broad Ripple brewery during our First Thursday tapping party. A handful of lucky guests got to try free samples and learn a little bit more about how the beer was brewed and what makes it so unique.

We always have plenty of free samples at our Tapping Parties!

Traditionally, the only grain used in brewing is barley or wheat. Brewers first turned to adjunct grain fermentables, such as corn and rice, to add new flavors to their craft brews. For Sorachi Sunrise, we added rice as an adjunct to the malt bill (recipe) of this IPA. The rice lightens the body and gives it a sweet character reminiscent of sake. We added a large quantity of Sorachi Ace hops after we boiled the wort (unfermented beer) to retain as much hop character as possible. Sorachi Ace was developed in Japan for Sapporo Brewery and is well known for its lemon flavor/aroma, which we knew would pair well with other main ingredient: matcha green tea. Tea can make beer astringent, so we sprinkled just enough in the mix post-fermentation to give a kick of green tea flavor without drying out your palate. Along with the matcha, we dry- hopped the beer with some more Sorachi hops for good measure. This is an IPA after all! The result is a combination of citrus and green tea that merges with the rice sweetness to create a smooth IPA clocking in at 6.7% ABV.

Growler fills are only $8 Mon-Thurs all summer long!

If you didn’t get a chance to try Sorachi Sunrise at the Microbrewer’s fest or our tapping party, it’s now pouring at our Broad Ripple brewery location and will soon be traveling to our Thr3e Wise Men Muncie taproom for another release party on August 22nd. Stop by for a $3 pint Monday-Thursday and $8 growler fills every Friday!

Kimmy Gerhart

Kimmy Gerhart is a Graphic Designer for Scotty's Brewhouse & Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. She specializes in hand-lettering, illustration, and corporate identity. You can usually find her at a local bar trying different craft brews or doodling in her sketch book at a local park. Her cat, Pistachio, is her muse and confidant.